Mossberg 500 series shotgun

The Mossberg 500 series shotguns can be seen in the following films, television series, video games, and anime used by the following actors:

For information on how to tell the Mossberg 500 series shotguns apart from the Remington and Winchester shotguns, please visit the 12 Gauge Pump Shotgun page.

This includes all variations of the model 500 and 590, including the AT, hunting and field models, tactical, military & law enforcement models and special purpose models (like the Persuader, Cruiser and the 'Mariner').

Please check the talk page for additional variants not shown on the main page.

The Mossberg 500 was introduced in 1961, with all early models sporting wood furniture. Mossberg also had a combat police model, the 500 AT, which was not advertised for sale among sporting catalogs but was strictly aimed at police sales. The Home Defense model with black synthetic buttstock and a black riot fore grip with either an 18.5" barrel or a 20" barrel were both referred to as the 'Persuader'.

The Mossberg 590 shotgun was introduced in 1987 (the same year as the Mossberg Mariner). The Mossberg 590 shotguns differ from the 500 series primarily because of the design of the cap for the shell tube. The 500 series shotguns are designed for easy swapping of barrels. The 590 magazine tube is designed for ease of cleaning and maintenance. The 'nub' at the end of the 590's magazine tube was originally designed for holding the ring of the M7/M9 Bayonet when the bayonet is attached to the lug underneath the barrel. Other versions of the 590 maintain this style of end cap, even those without bayonet lugs.

The Mossberg 500 Cruiser is a Model 500 Shotgun with a factory Pistol grip. Some have the heat shield and some don't. What's confusing is that the full stocked Mossberg 500 is called the Persuader, however, the Persuader always came with an optional pistol grip so that the user could swap stocks. Which is why we see shotguns identified as 'Persuaders' with pistol grips, however, that is a modification made by the owner and not a factory configuration. All shotguns that came from the factory with pistol grips are 'Cruisers'. Not to be confused with Mossberg 590 Cruisers or 590 Compact Cruisers (see below).

A short pistol gripped version of the Mossberg 590 combat shotgun. The 590 Cruiser is a riot length barreled shotgun with a pistol grip instead of a full stock. The more famous Compact Cruiser is actually a short barreled shotgun and thus its sales are restricted.

Mossberg 500/590 Bullpup

Mossberg 500 Bullpup with 18.5" Barrel - 12 gauge

Mossberg 590 Bullpup with 20" barrel and extended tube - 12 gauge

In 1985, Mossberg introduced a bullpup stock for the 500 series shotguns, which was available as either a kit (so that owners could convert their existing weapons) or as a complete gun. Due to the seemingly "futuristic" appearance of the Mossberg in this configuration, the 500 Bullpup was frequently used during the 1980s and 1990s in futuristic/sci-fi movies (most notably, RoboCop and The Running Man, among others).

The Mossberg Maverick 88 is regarded as the low cost version of the Mossberg 500. The most obvious difference being the location of the safety; The safety of the Maverick 88 is a crossbar located on the trigger guard, as opposed to the Mossberg 500's safety which is on top of the receiver.